I don't proofread my posts before I publish them... cause I keep my thoughts au naturale.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

What is a bad daycare?

My kids started going to "Hobbit Hole Daycare" (alias) in July of 2008.  My son was 6 months and my daughter was 2 years 7 months.  In the time that we've been there I've complained a great deal, but finally did some researching and found a daycare that sounds great!  Today was the kids' last day at Hobbit Hole.  I did not register them for the fall (50 bucks to hold a spot), and did not tell them we found a new daycare because I did not want there to be hard feelings.  Well, none of the people there said goodbye to my kids today and I was given a bill for the whole month of May when they will have only been there 2 days.

Here are some reasons I did not like said daycare:

1) Most of the employees don't seem to like kids.  They get paid minimum wage and are not treated the best, nor do they treat the kids the best.  I know I can't stand being around my own kids 24/7, let alone someone else's, but why not hire people to work at a daycare that actually LIKE kids?

2)  My son has cried every single day I dropped him off except maybe 3 days- out of 2 years!!!  I LOVE the last teacher he had, but she was moved to a different class recently.  In the time my son has been in the toddler room, he's had about 6 different teachers!  I liked one.

3) My daughter was terrified of naptime because apparently some of the workers were covering the kids' heads with blankets and not letting them be uncovered.

4) My son was constantly being bitten by some nameless child.

5) Everytime I pick my kids up, they are head to toe covered in dirt.

6) A couple weeks ago I showed up and my son had a black eye and no one knew it wasn't there when I dropped him off.

7)  I have picked my son up twice and instantly smelled he had pooped and when I changed him it was totally dry and caked to his tush.

8) All the employees are on a different page and don't seem to communicate well.  My son is lactose intolerant and I don't know how many times I'd see them giving him milk and when I'd point it out, they'd say no one told them.

Okay, that's enough examples.  They were clearly more interested in making money than pleasing parents or having happy kids.  Oh, and I forgot to mention you are expected to pay a month in advance.  I don't believe in paying for services I haven't received and if my kid is sick, I still have to pay (which I know most daycares do.)  Although I appreciated that they let me pay at the end of the month.

So this new place I found sounds fantastic!  I toured twice, each time with one of the kids and my husband came the second time.  Their 2 year olds group looked like they were having a great time and they get to watch NickJr before naptime and in the afternoon- just like at my house!  They had recliners because the workers were actually allowed to hold the kids.  They had potty trained almost all the kids.

My kids start at the new daycare Tuesday.  I'm really excited to know how they like it and guess what- they charge hourly and you pay at the end of the month for the exact hours you used.  I will keep you posted on how it goes, but so far they seem great!  My daughter will be in afternoon preschool in the fall, but I always worry about poor L, because he's such a mama's boy!

5 comments:

  1. You've got to go with your gut. Teacher/daycare worker's faces tell you everything you need to know when you walk into the door. You know misery when you see it. It may be that they do in fact like kids but, HATE their boss or enviroment or whatever but, you don't want that attitude around your kids all day.
    To be honest with you some red flags went up when I went to visit Hobbit Hole with you. I should have said something but, I tend to be over paranoid about stuff like that.

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  2. Covering their head with a blanket and not letting them uncover it?

    And not allowed to hold/comfort the kids?

    This places sounds like Hell's next door neighbor. Wow.

    I'm glad you found something else that you're happy with. Finding good child care is a job in itself. I hope your kiddos like the new hangout.

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  3. What kind of red flags did you see, Crystal?

    Thanks, Annette! Yeah, since I've posted my blog and people have seen it on FB, I've received tons of feedback from other parents and previous workers. I also received a nasty email from the owner who claims I was badmouthing the place all over town. And they all just assume I'm a liar, cause really... that's what I do. *eyes rolling* I think of random businesses to pick on because I have nothing better to do with my time.

    I've had a bunch of people tell me to turn them into DHS, but since the things that specifically happened to my kids weren't abuse, I can't provide what other people tell me, because that's hearsay. I just wish the employees there cared more and people who KNOW would contact DHS.

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  4. You did the right thing when you changed daycares. These are your children and that is your main concern.If the adults were doing their job you wouldn't have such a long list!

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